Combustion unit



Jan. 24, 1950 E. P. PEREGRINE comsusnon UNIT Filed April 8, 1947 //Vl E/V70/? 5220a P/MA/PJ Pare-400x5- Patented Jan. 24, 1950 COMBUSTION UNIT Edgar Phillips Peregrine, Tynemouth, England,

assignor to The Parsons and Marine Engineering Turbine Research and Development Association, Wallsend, England Application April 8, 1947, Serial No. 740,245

- In Great Britain November 7, 1946 3 Claims. (Cl. 263-19) 1 This invention relates to combustion units such for example as are incorporated in gas turbine and jet propulsion engines or open hearth furnaces.

The proportion of air to fuel in certain combustion units, such as those incorporated in gas turbine and jet propulsion engines, is considerably greater than that required for complete combustion. High combustion efllciencies are attained in combustion zones having high rates of heat release by imparting a high degree of turbulence to the air. This turbulent flow is achieved at the expense of a loss of total pressure, which in turn affects adversely the eiilciency and working capacity of the engine.

One object of the present invention is to provide constructions. ofcombustion unit in which the above pressure loss is reduced. I

A further object of the invention is to provide a combustion system for an open hearth furnace.

The invention consists in a combustion system incorporating the features set out in the claims appended hereto.

2 construction is minimised by maintaining an approximately spherical shape and tile or monolith construction ma conveniently be employed. If desired the pressure augmentation may be achieved by dividing the flow before the last stage of an axial flow compressor of an engine embody- I ing no heat exchanger, this last stage having capacity for the combustion air only.

What is claimed is: 1. A combustion system wherei vided into two portions, one port on, amounting to the quantity necessary to secure complete or substantially complete combustion of the fuel.

The accompanying diagrammatic drawing illustrates a vertical sectional view of one conwenient construction of combustion unit embodying the present invention.

In carrying the invention into eflect according to one convenient form illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawing, a combustion chamber is provided having a hemispherical top a and a hemispherical base b, an

annular opening 0 being provided between the top and base. This annular opening communicates with a mixing annulus d to which one portion of an-air supply is passed from an air supply branch pipe e. The other portion of the air supply is conveyed by way of an auxiliary motor-driven fan I from a branch pipe 0 to the top of the combustion chamber which is entered by a series of openings h in the top a, the arrangement being such that the air is directed towards the axis or is ofi-set to give whirl. A fuel sprayer t is provided at the centre of the top and the exit gases from the combustion chamberare led away through the annulus c and the discharge pipe d. The remaining air portion arriving from the inlet duct mixes with this combustion air and both are discharged through the duct i.

The combustion chamber may thus be operated at the maximum possible temperature.

The pressure augmentation can be obtained from the compressor or any external drive such as a turbine or electric motor, the energy for such being derived from the machine of which being fed to a combustion chamber the interior of which has the form of two hemispherical, or approximately hemispherical members, separated by an annular outlet opening, a fuel sprayer being provided at-one end of the diameter normal to the planecontaining said opening encircled by openings for the admission of said portion of air, the resulting hot gas issuing from said outlet opening being caused to mix witha second portion of the air, which latter portion is not subjected to any substantial pressure drop.

2. A combustion chamber as claimed in claim 1 wherein the hot gas is discharged in a radial direction from the spherical chamber in such a way as to preserve the symmetry of flow inside the combustion chamber.

3. A combustion system as claimed in claim 1 wherein means is provided for dividing the flow EDGAR PHILLIPS rizamamn. nnrnnsuons orran The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

484,259 Great Britain was, me

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